Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan Kai Tsukisenu-hen (The Eternal Chapter)
by WOLFEDEN Studios
Summary: After Hakyoku. Start with Kanashii first. The adversary has been revealed; the cicadas cry out in a crescendo of terror and agony as a new war is erupting. Keima and Furude clash in a battle that will decide the fate of Hinamizawa. This is the last chance to bring the Eternal July to an end. This is the final world. There are no second chances. Heaven or Hell. Do or Die.
1. Prologue

Higurashi no Naku Koro ni Kan

Tsukisenu-hen (The Eternal Chapter)

* * *

**Rest now,**

**This world is no place for you.**

**Rest now,**

**This is your final breath.**

**Rest now,**

**There is no need to struggle any longer.**

**Rest now,**

**Go find peace.**

* * *

Prologue

The computers illuminated the van with a dismal light. The men punched in keys, called out status updates, and their computer screens flashed various images of the village. They were all in black and white. We could see the rice patties, the grassy hills, the forests, the school, the hospital, markets, and many of the residential buildings. We could see everything. Nobody could do anything that I didn't know about. I pretty much was Oyashio-sama, watching over his village and tending to his flock.

I hung outside the van, taking in the bright morning sun up above. The clicking of the keyboards, the buzzing of the monitors, and the monotone updates of the drones working the tech stuff got to me. I needed some air. There were a few clouds, but it was a lovely day. I heard the birds chirp, the crickets sing, and the sounds wildlife scurrying about the forest where we set up shop. I had to admit, Hinamizawa was a beautiful village to live in. Once you take away all the nonsense of curses, Oyashiro-sama, and sacred religious taboos, it was an alright place. It was a shame that such a beautiful place like this was, in reality, a rotten husk.

The whole place had a foul stench that permeated the very air I breathed. It was sickening. The village was a cancerous growth on humanity, and how fitting it was that Hinamizawa was the birthplace of demons. A rotten village where demons copulated with human beings to give birth to monstrosities. It was absolutely sickening. Such a disease had to be contained and properly quarantined. That was my job.

"Sir!" a soldier, dressed in those dapper black overalls and cap, saluted me.

"What have you got to report?" I asked as I folded my arms.

"We have the targets under complete surveillance, sir. We have them up on one of the feeds now. Come take a look."

I walked past the soldier and climbed into the back of the van. The soldier led me to the main terminal and pointed out the different High Value Targets.

"Everything is accounted for, sir." He gestured to every single one of the camera feeds we placed all round the village. "We know the H.T.V.s' residences, their frequent commuting routes, meet up spots, and their school."

"That's good work." I took a look at one of feeds. I saw six children walking over a small bridge. They had satchels in their hands and two of them had backpacks. "School's in session, huh?"

"Yes, sir. This is the road they take every day."

"So who am I looking at here?"

The soldier picked up a couple of folders and flipped through their contents. Each folder had a recent photo of the targets as well as some very interesting biographies. Real page turners.

"The boy in the white shirt is Maebara Keiichi," the soldier read from one of the files. "He and his parents are from the city; they moved in not too long ago. He's the son of that famous artist, Maebara Ichiro. Those are the girls he spends all his free time with outside of school."

"What's a city boy doing all the way out here in the boonies?"

"Before moving here with his parents, he ran into some trouble with the law. He shot some children at his previous school with an air gun. His folks paid his bail and they came here to protect him."

"This boy sounds like an upstanding gentleman of society," I said with a small grin on my face. "What about the rest of the kids? They felons too?"

The soldier flipped through some more documents.

"Actually, yes to an extent. The redhead is Ryuguu Rena. She was born in Hinamizawa, left, and then came back. She was afraid of that curse which led to a mental breakdown at her old school. She beat several students with a metal baseball bat. After that incident, she returned here.

"The two girls with the same hair color and facial structure are the twins, Sonozaki Mion and Shion, both daughters of the Sonozaki yakuza family. There's not much to say about Mion, aside from the fact that she's next in line to become the family's head and that she's fond of Maebara. Shion is a different story though. She was involved with a boy, Houjou Satoshi, a suspect in a recent murder here in the village. She's another one that has a few screws loose, especially when something endangers the well being of Houjou's sister, Satoko."

"That's the blonde, right?"

"Yes, sir." He pulled out Satoko's file. "Her and her brother aren't exactly popular in the village because of that curse thing again. Both their parents are dead and the only person with custody is their uncle and aunt. The uncle is serving a sentence for a child abuse case involving the girl, while the aunt is dead. She was reported to have done similar acts of abuse to both children."

"This ties in with the Houjou murder? He got sick of it so he killed one of relatives?"

"That's most likely. The Houjou girl lives with the final target nowadays while the boy is in an unknown location."

The soldier handed me the last document. I opened the folder and ran my eyes over the target's photo.

"Furude Rika," the soldier went on, "the priestess of the village. She's the last of the Furude Family. She's assisted by a man named Kimiyoshi, one of most influential members of the village's government. Furude is the supposed 'Queen Carrier' as described in Takano Miyo's reports."

I took the photo from the folder and studied every detail of her face from her hair to her neck. I wouldn't forget that face. How could I not? She was the reason I was here.

"This is the one Takano tried to apprehend but failed?" I asked. "The last job TOKYO screwed up?"

"Yes, sir. That little girl, and her friends for that matter, stopped the entire operation cold. It's hard to believe that a bunch of kids stopped a military trained force."

"As unbelievable and impressive as that is, I'm not making the same mistake she did. I treat every enemy the same way."

I slammed the folder down on the console's panel. I took a look at one of the monitors; the camera feed closed in on Furude's beaming face. She laughed at something the Houjou girl said.

"Listen up!" I shouted.

Everyone within the van turned to face me.

"This is going to be like every mission we've ever done. We observe, study, gather intelligence, plan, and execute. There's no room for mistakes. We find out everything we need on the H.T.V.s, the village itself, and those in the social hierarchy. We isolate, contain, and exterminate."

My eyes burned red. I tasted blood.

"There will be no hesitation. Do not underestimate the enemy here. Each of one them is unstable in their own unique way. We use it to our advantage and we eliminate them one by one. When the operation begins, you will all be responsible for each other. Kill who you have to kill, hide any traces of your existence, you move as I move, do as I do, and handle anything that may be traced back to yourselves or to me. We're ghosts here. We leave no trace. Is that clear?"

"SIR, YES, SIR!" They all saluted me.

I returned their salute. My grin returned back to my lips; it got a little wider.

"Captain," someone called for me at the door to the van.

A woman climbed in and acknowledged me. She brushed a few locks of her scarlet hair behind her ear. She held a small radio in her hands.

"Everyone is in position for the next phase of the operation, Captain Hanzaemon. I suggest we prepare for our roles as soon as you are ready."

"All right, good work, Akane. Let's suit up."

Akane led me to another car that was parked right next to the van. She opened the trunk to reveal a stockpile of weapons, clothing, and body armor. She picked out a nurse's uniform while I swapped my military jacket for a dress jacket and a red tie. I strapped on a shoulder holster for my revolver as she readied a knife to be concealed in her stockings. Once she finished grabbing all of her clothes to change into, she handed me a small ear piece.

"Put this in your ear so we can communicate at all times," she said. "I'll give you whatever information I can uncover from the clinic when Irie is away. I'll be discreet, you don't need to worry about me."

I smiled. "Why should I have to worry about you? I trust you completely. You're the one who helped me get this far. Without you, I'd be nothing."

Akane returned my smile. She took my hand into hers. She gently brushed her finger against my skin.

"After this is over," she whispered, her eyes sparkled under the sun, "we can be together, right?"

"Of course." I kissed her forehead and took my hand back. I spun the cylinder of my revolver and checked the iron sight. "Whatever you want."

"It's not what I want. All that matters to me is that you get what you desire, Lord."

"I'll get everything I want and more."

I turned my head to the direction of the village. I could just make out the rice patty fields and the stream, where villagers were joking and going about their days. My smile faded. I could taste blood in my mouth again. My eyes burned that hideous golden red.

"We are go for operation."


	2. Chapter 1: Phantom Pain

Chapter 1: Phantom Pain

* * *

Part A

At last, I had awoken. This sleep felt eternal. I thought that this was going to be the slumber that I would never wake from. I didn't know whether to be grateful that I was able to open my eyes or to condemn this new plane I entered. We failed again it seemed.

What had happened? I couldn't recall the events of the last world we resided in. I just knew that we died again. It was another failure added to our history of attempts to break the chains of Fate. If I could have the luxury to look at our win-loss record, I would have laughed. For one hundred years I had been used to death. It became a part of my nature.

I continually lost hope, no matter how many speeches I made to her. For something like myself, a harbinger of glad tidings, I was useless. Even when I thought that we were just about to be free once more, freedom was yanked away from me. I felt like I had been grappling with Takano for another round.

I grew tired. My power faded, my hope dwindled, and my will to go on was nonexistent. I told her that I believed in her, that I would be with her, but I didn't know how much longer I could hold on.

My hands were fading into the abyss. My ethereal body lost its luster with every death I experienced around these children. I sensed the remaining power, the last shred of force left from the Furude Family's sacred treasure, the Onigari. It was gone.

The blood of the Furude that stained the blade was gone; I couldn't sense my life-force on it any longer. If we failed this one last time, not even the sword could begin a new world. This was it. This world would be my tomb.

Rika slept on the floor, wrapped in a blanket of ignorance beside her yellow-haired friend. Soon she would awake, and soon I would have to have another drawn out conversation about our situation. How I hated talking about it. What else was there to say? What else was there to ponder? This was it. This was what we had left.

I looked up to the moon, a bow new bent in heaven. I could see her small face, smiling up at me. She begged me to play with her, to kiss the scrape on her knee to make the pain go away, and to cure her from her illnesses. My small arms hugged my chest. My eyes shut tightly as I gripped the cloth of my robe. I suddenly reached for my head. I traced my finger along the crack on my horn, the first failed strike she used against me. I scratched my nail against it. The bolt of pain shot through my head; my ears deafened at the clang of the holy blade against my demonhood. The pain never went away. I never wanted it to. It made me feel human again.

_"Ouka,"_ I muttered to the moon. _"Is there anything you can do to help your mother? I just need one clue…one clue is all I need to put this behind me…that is…if I have the strength."_

_"Mother."_

Ouka stood just outside the window on an invisible pedestal. Her back was turned to me with her long hair swaying in the night air. Her hand grasped the hilt of that gleaming golden sword. She was all grown up. She looked so beautiful.

_"Mother…you cannot give up. You conquered Death before. You can do it again…you can become victorious once more. I know you can, I know it in my heart as your daughter."_

_ "Ouka…"_ I extended my hand out to her. _"My darling little Ouka…"_

_ "Do not be so selfish. Think about all of the lives you will condemn if you stop fighting."_

I drifted out of the window. My fingers went to touch her shoulder, but they passed right through her.

_"Stop this evil. Put an end to everything. Accomplish what I could not all those years ago."_

_ "What do you mean? What are you trying to say, my love? Tell me, and I'll listen," _I pleaded.

_ "Stop him. Cleanse me of my sins…let me rest in peace...and give him rest as well..."_

_ "Who? Who are you talking about?"_

Ouka turned to face me.

Her belly protruded through her shrine garments. I saw how it pulsed. I didn't believe the sight in front of my eyes. It was only natural of course for the sake of the Furude Clan to have an heir. Ouka had to be granted a child for us to live on, but the sight of her, my own daughter as a mother, struck my very heart. I didn't know how I was supposed to feel. I was joyful that she was with child, but why was she crying?

Hot glistening tears flowed down her cheeks. They dropped upon her belly. She shut her eyes and turned her head. What happened to my little Ouka?

_"I failed you, Mother." _She rubbed her stomach. _"Cleanse me of my sin. Right my wrongs and grant me peace…just like you once had done for me when I was but a child. Please, grant me salvation so I can finally rest…"_

_ "Ouka, what has become of you?" _I asked so pitifully.

_"Make us whole, Mother…make us whole again…"_

Piece by piece and inch by inch of her slowly faded into the night. I desperately tried to grab her, to hold her in my arms, but she escaped me. I wanted to sing to her, to tell her all would be well, but she left me. She left me alone again.

_"Ouka! Come back! What sin have you committed? What happened back then? Answer me, please! Let your mother help you! Ouka! OUKA!"_

I hung my head. I hugged myself once more and wept to myself. Why was she crying? What was she so miserable about? What had happened all those years ago when I left her?

_"My daughter…! My baby…my love…!"_ My nails tore through my robes. _"What happened to you…?"_

"Hanyuu?"

Rika stood at the windowsill. She beckoned to me.

I reluctantly obeyed. I drifted back to the window, but I didn't look her in the eye; I found myself far too busy removing my own tears.

"What happened?" she asked as she rubbed my leg.

_"I…saw my daughter. I didn't understand anything though. She was…she was pregnant. I tried to hold her, but she vanished. Rika…what happened to my baby…? My precious daughter…?"_

"I wouldn't know." She shook her head at me. "I think you were just seeing things. Maybe you just had a nightmare."

_"It wasn't a nightmare. I saw her. She spoke directly to me! Rika…my daughter was here and she spoke to me! I know she did!"_

"Hanyuu, you need to calm down. You're too excited."

I took a few deep breaths. I folded my hands over my lap and sniffled. Ouka's image was haunted my mind. I couldn't get her out of my thoughts.

"Hanyuu, just take it easy, alright? Now can you tell me what happened?"

I looked to her. _"What?"_

"Do you remember anything before? I mean, did we fail again?"

_"We did, unfortunately."_

"Dammit." Rika massaged her neck. "My neck is throbbing. It burns and it stings."

_"Why is that?"_

"Maybe it was how I was killed before. But I can't remember what happened. Don't you remember anything?"

I thought hard.

_"I do remember we had defeated an army of the Keima Clan, when we were protecting the Onigari-no-Ryuo. After that, it's all a blur."_

"You've got to be joking." Rika rubbed her forehead. "We went through all that trouble and now we can't remember a damned thing? Didn't we confront our true enemy? We definitely did. But I can't remember his or her face!"

_"We did meet our culprit…but just as you said: we have no memory."_

She sighed. She twirled around and made for the stairs. "I need some wine…"

Rika returned from the kitchen a few moments with a wine bottle and a fairly large glass. My throat swelled up. I despised it when Rika turned to alcohol. It wasn't doing her body any good with that garbage, and it certainly didn't make me feel any better. I hated the taste of it, the way it dropped down my esophagus. It always burned. It was at times like these that I wished that our senses weren't connected.

She sat at her usual place on the windowsill. She swirled her drink as she looked out into the void of the night before us. I couldn't see any stars that night because of the fog that passed through; I couldn't even make out the moon anymore. We were trapped in another realm of darkness without any light to guide us. I was used to it.

Rika gulped a hefty swig. "No matter how much of this stuff I drink …it never relieves the pain."

_"Drowning your sorrows in that trash isn't going to help us win this fight."_

"Hanyuu, we had this discussion more times than I can count. Faith is fickle. You put your trust in it, you put all of your dreams and prayers into it, and what do you get in return? You get nothing but pain and disappointment. I surprised that I haven't gone mad after this century in all these time loops."

I twirled a lock of my hair around my finger, biting at my upper lip.

"And just when I think wine could give me some pleasure, it can't even numb my heart."

_"Rika, there has to be something we can do."_

"We can't really do anything. Your power is almost gone, so your simplest of abilities are useless. The Onigari-no-Ryuo is out of power as well. Our enemy, whoever he or she is, is always two steps ahead of us. That's how we failed during these months here. This enemy, this monster, is far more cunning and deadly than I ever gave it credit for."

I drew along the floor with my thumb. I grumbled to myself.

_"I thought Takano was the worst foe we've ever faced. This monster we've been fighting all this time has been right under our noses. It wore a mask and then revealed its true colors just before the end like she did, but something about this enemy is much darker, much more horrid and evil. I…I can still feel the pain you suffered from the last world."_

I stroked my head, my arm, and my legs.

_"The torture you underwent was inhuman. How could anybody be so cruel…?"_

"It's a monster, like we said." Rika took another gulp. "I barely remember the torture at all."

_"You were beaten up so badly and that monster just smiled. He got pleasure out of it. It was like he was in sheer ecstasy from hearing you writhe in pain."_ I punched the floor repeatedly. _"Why can't I remember what he looked like? Why can't I remember who this enemy is? If I did, we could have a solid lead!"_

"We'll just have to hope for the best," Rika said grimly. "It's what we're best at after all."

_"That besides losing."_

"This bastard needs to be taken down, whoever he is." She squeezed her empty glass. The body started to crack. "I don't care anymore. If I ever see him again, and if I ever get the chance I'm gonna kill him."

_"Rika…"_

"I'm gonna slowly kill him. I'll make him suffer the same pain I've been feeling for all these years." Rika grinned to herself. I heard her laugh under her breath. "We can all take turns. Keiichi can strike at his head, Shion can nail him to a tree, Mion and Rena can cut him open, Satoko can pluck his eyes out, and me…I'll tear his heart out from his chest with my bare hands if I have to."

_"Rika!" _I shouted at her. _"Stop talking like that right now!"_

She looked at me pretty dumbly with her brow raised and her head tilted. Didn't she just hear me?

_"This is exactly what our enemy wants. He wants you to be so blinded by rage and frustration so that he can kill you off again, only it'll be a lot easier this time."_

She brushed her hair with her hand as a heavy breath passed from her mouth. She rubbed her temple.

"Sorry, Hanyuu. I'm just so frustrated…"

_"We all are."_

I merged myself in-between her and the wall. I placed my arms around her body and folded my hands over her stomach. She slid down and rested the back of her head against my chest. Rika wrapped her arms around mine and she even held my hands. Before I could open my mouth to say anything, the poor thing was already fast asleep. The wine finally got to her. She was snoring. I couldn't help myself but giggle at her.

My hand lifted up to her head. I stroked her hair and I played with a few strands with my fingers. I kissed the top of her head and laid my cheek down on her.

_"It's alright now,"_ I whispered to her. She needed me now more than ever. _"Mother's got you. Mother's not going to let the bad creatures harm you anymore."_

Rika mumbled something I couldn't understand. She shifted so that her ear was against my heart.

_"Mother loves her daughter…she loves her little Ouka…"_

* * *

Part B

I heard a child laughing. Right before my eyes, I saw her running through the fields, picking each and every flower that crossed her path. Her tiny robe fluttered in the calm cool breeze. Her hair bounced to and fro and her smile lit up the sky. I was sitting at the top of hill, watching her play to her heart's content. Seeing her simper made mine all the stronger. I never grew tired of seeing that child hop around like some furry little animal, and I never grew tired of hearing that laugh.

His hand massaged my thigh. He had been sitting next to me all this time watching our little girl.

_"She's really excited today, huh, Hanyuu?"_ Riku said to me with a grin of his own.

_"I just adore her,"_ I replied with a laugh. _"She is the best thing that ever happened to me. Well, besides marrying you of course."_

_ "Now you're just trying to flatter me."_

_ "I'm quite serious, Riku."_

_ "Oh? Prove it."_

I turned his cheek with just my finger. I pressed my lips against his.

He didn't release me for a few minutes. He touched my hip. He traced his finger up and down my side.

_"Riku, stop being mean."_

_ "I can't help myself around you." _He winked at me. "_You're quite a demon, you know."_

I flushed at his remark. I shot my eyes back to my daughter. Was he seriously talking about our love life when my daughter could very well be in earshot?

"_That was a terrible attempt at a jest and don't speak so loud! Ouka can hear you!"_

_ "She has no idea what grow ups are like. You worry too much, Hanyuu."_

_ "She is too intelligent for her own good."_ I huffed at him. _"She finds it amusing to ask me all sorts of questions, such as why we kiss and embrace and the like."_

_ "Did you tell her you do it because you're madly in love with me?"_

I slapped his shoulder hard. _"Hold your tongue, you wretched human."_

He laughed at me. Riku pulled me closer and rubbed his cheek against mine.

_"I love you, __Hainiryūn Ieas-Hainir-ah…Haini…um…I love you, Hanyuu. Haha…"_

I poked his chest. I sneered at him. _"When are you ever going to say my name correctly?"_

_ "What's wrong with Hanyuu? I think it's a cute name."_

_ "I'm cute, huh? I went from being the most beautiful flower in Onigafuchi to simply cute."_

_ "Uh…well…"_

_ "I'm teasing."_ I turned back to the fields.

Ouka rolled sideways along the tall grass, singing and laughing to herself. She had a bright yellow flower in her hair.

_"My daughter is the most beautiful flower now."_

Riku nodded to me.

_"She's going to do great things one day. She'll make us proud of her. She'll make the whole village proud of her."_

_ "She'll bring our new family honor."_

The house returned to as it once was. Rika was still in my arms and Satoko was still in a deep slumber. I knew it was too enjoyable to be real. My head was stuck in a wonderland; it always dwelled in such a realm. Onigafuchi seemed to have a habit of returning to me. That life was behind me. Those times were over. This was the present. This was the world I lived in and it would be the world that I would finally die in, again.

I looked down at Rika. Her snoring wasn't as loud now. I ran my thumb along her forehead.

_"Ouka,"_ I said to my fellow ghosts that lingered among us.

A few tears dripped down off of my chin.

"_What had become of you…?"_

The night passed and the morning sun rose. It was still quite early. Rika and Satoko still had about a half hour before they woke up to get ready for school. I wanted some time alone to think about everything that had transpired, about what brought me to this point. I believed that the shrine was my best bet at peace. I returned Rika to her bed and placed the covers back over her. I wouldn't be gone long. I'd be back in time before they'd both wake up.

I hovered over the village. I peered down at all the tiny outlines of people below me. A few farmers were planting some seeds and reaping the wheat in the fields. The elderly gossiped amongst themselves as they made their morning commute. I picked up every word they said about a man in a multicolored shirt and tight brown pants, whose keen eye was enough to knock any woman off of her feet. Onigafuchi was like that when I first walked the earth. It made me giggle at how some things never change, even after a thousand years.

The shrine stood tall and proud among the sea of trees on the Furude property. I drifted down to the altar that sat in front of the door to the building. I shoved myself inside. The shrine was awfully warm. I couldn't hear a thing at all either. I couldn't even hear the singing of the cicadas from outside. This place was little piece of paradise. If I could remain there for a half an hour at best, I would be satisfied.

I sat in the middle of the room. I folded my hands together, took a few deep breaths, and closed my eyes. I hoped, prayed, that someone on the other side of time and space listened to my plea. I prayed that Riku could talk to me. I prayed that Ouka could reveal her secrets to me. Though I tried, I didn't receive an answer from anyone.

Why was Ouka so depressed when she revealed herself to me? What constricted her heart and filled her soul with such torment? She was bearing a child. Wasn't that a joyous thing? She grew up to be a true woman. She was a mother. Why was she ashamed of that?

I wished that I could have some way to connect with the Onigafuchi of the past. I wanted to see what became of my daughter after I had died. I wanted to see every detail of her life. Was she happy? Was she as sullen as when I had left her? I wanted to know everything about her.

The floor shook beneath me. I felt over on my side. I looked to the door. The force was coming from the other side. I could hear footsteps that were ever so light. I didn't hear anything at all until just then, and how could such gentle steps cause so much force to make this place of worship tremble?

I darted outside of the door and I planted myself behind the altar. I saw him.

He was a thin man in black. He wore a black dress suit with a red necktie. His dark brown hair just touched his shoulders. The dark brown orbs that focused on the shrine were lean and cold. His left hand adjusted his tie. The sun didn't shine on the gold ring that strangled his left ring finger. It was cold and dull, just like his gaze.

The man slid his hand along the stone of the altar. Black smoke trailed behind his fingertips. The miasma poured out of every pore of his skin. The aura that flooded from him made me gag. He clenched his opened hand into a fist. He leered down at me.

He couldn't see me obviously, as I was just a passive observer of this world, but his stare struck my heart with such fear. The killing intent of this demon knifed at my heart, plucked every strand of hair from my skull, and made my brain boil.

I clutched my heart and collapsed to my knees. The miasma applied immense pressure to my chest that I thought it would break me in two. I screamed and I wailed from the pain, but it did not stop. All of the evil, every malicious thought, and every sin this man had committed penetrated me. It was slowly killing me. This man, this animal. was murdering me. It's odd to believe that a ghost could feel such a pain, but believe me, I felt all too human at that moment.

The man blinked his eyes. His dark lean eyes changed. They flashed a burning gold with a scarlet slit for a pupil. I recognized those eyes. I never forgot those unfeeling balls of fire. I stared into those eyes as he killed Keiichi, Mion, Rena, Shion, Satoko, and Rika.

_"I-It's you,"_ I muttered.

He turned his back to the shrine with his hands at his side. He briskly descended the stone steps, with the black fog following his every gesture. When the fog had vanished, I gasped for all the air my tiny lungs could handle.

I knew that man. I remembered those eyes, that face, the wicked flash of his canines, and the thick fog that had strangled me. That man, whoever he was, he wasn't human. He couldn't be. No human could contain so much sin, evil, and raw anger as this man.

_"Ha…Ha…"_ I said, gasping for air._ "Ha…Ha…Hanzaemon…"_


End file.
